Handle-attaching means for door latches



Feb; 19 1924. 1,484,406" I L. OTTINGER HANDLE ATTAQHING MEANS FOR DOOR LATCHES Filed Jan. 20. 1925 Patented Feb. 19, 1924.

UNITED STATES LEON OTTING-ER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

EANDLE-ATTACHING MEANS FOR DOOR LATCHES.

Application filed January 20, 1923. Serial No. 613,809.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEON OTTINGER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, county of New York, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Handle- Attaching Means for Door Latches, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to handle attaching means for door latches, such for instance as that shown in Patent No. 1,411,581, granted to me April 4, 1922.

Broadly considered, it is the object and purpose of my present improvements to provide simple and effective means for rigidly and securely attaching the handle shaft to the actuating rollback of the latch, and which may be easily and quickly applied through the end of the latch case without disturbing the upholstery or necessitating the removal of other parts secured upon the latch casing at the inner side of the door.

It is another object of my invention to materially simplify and reduce the manufacturing cost of the handle attaching means shown in my prior patent, while at the same time obtaining maximum security and riidity in the connection between the handle shaft and the rollback.

In accomplishing the above purpose, I contemplate the possibility of embodying vthe essential characteristics of my present improvements in numerous alternative constructions. However, the invention in its fundamentally novel features comprehends the provision in the end of the handle shaft which is fitted in the bore of the rollback, of a cam seat having its major dimension disposed at right angles-to the axis of the shaft, the rollback being provided with an opening with which said seat is adapted to align, and a camming or wedging member insertable through an opening in the end wall of the latch case into the opening in the rollback and adapted for adjustment into coacting engagement with said seat to securely bind the end of the handle shaft against the walls of the bore or opening in the rollback, said member also acting as a positive looking key to prevent axial movement of the shaft relative to the rollback.

With-the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the improved handle attaching means and in the form, construction and relative arrangement of its several parts as will be hereinaftermore the rollback lever showing one embodiment Y of my new attaching means;

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 33 of Figure 2, the end of the handle shaft being in elevation;

Figure 4 is an enlarged view similar to Figure 2, illustrating a modified form of the device;

Figure 5 is a horizontal section taken on t e line 55 of Figure 4;

igure 6 is a view similar to Figure 4 ill strating another form of the invention; igure '1 is a sectional view taken on the li e 77 of Figure 6, the shaft being shown in elevation;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the shaft end shown in Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 6 showing another embodiment of the device;

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the shaft end shown in Figure 9;

Figure 11 is a sectional view illustrating another alternative construction;

Figure 12 is a perspective view of the shaft end shown in Figure 11; and

Figure 13 is a sectional View of still another embodiment of the invention.

The latch per so which I have partially I.

illustrated in the accompanying drawing, constitutes no part of my present invention. This latch may be similar to latches of the type which are now commonly employed upon the doors of automobile bodies, and for a further understanding of such a latch construction, reference may be had to my Reissue Patent No. 15,412, granted to me July 18th, 1922. However, 1t will become clearly apparent as the description proceeds that my present improvements are not only applicable to other latch constructions which might be employed for many different purposes, but are likewise of material advantage in many other instances where a quickly attachable and detachable connec tion between two parts is desirable. f

For the purposes of the present explanation, it will suflice to state that the operating parts of the latch mechanism are mounted in a suitable casing generally indicated at 5, one of the walls of which is provided with an angularly disposed end flange 6 having an opening therein through which the nose of the latch bolt 7 project In the application of the latch to the door structure, this flange is secured in a mortise formed in the end face of the door.

In spaced parallel walls of the latch casing and adjacent to the flange 6, the roll back lever 8 is journaled for oscillating or rocking movement. This rollback lever may be of any desired form requisite to insure its properco-operation with a. part on the latch bolt 7 whereby said bolt will be retracted in the oscillating movement of said lever in one direction.

The rollback lever is formed with an opening or bore 9, preferably of rectangular or other polygonal shape. in cross-section and axially coincident with the center of oscillation of the rollback lever. Referring now more particularly to Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings, it will be noted that an opening is formed through the rollback lever at the upper side of the bore extending at right angles thereto at a point substantially midway between its ends. This opening is provided with a threaded portion 10 of relatively small diameter extending from one edge of the lever 8 to a point adjacent the opposite side of the bore a, from whichpoint said opening, of relativelv greater diameter, as shown at 11, is continued through the rollback lever. The wall of said opening at the juncture. of the portions 10 and 11 thereof is obliquelyinclined or tapered, as at 12. 7

Within the bore or opening 9 of the roll back lever, the shaft end 13 of an operating handle (not shown) is'adapted to be fitted. In Figure 3 of the drawing I have shown the latch case and handle assembled u n a door structure wherein the bod o the handle shaft is cylindrical in fbrm and upon the same the escutcheon plate 14 is loosely engaged. Thus after the shaft end 13 has been inserted in the bore of the rollback and secured in the manner to be presently explained, the escutcheon. plate 14 may beshifted upon the cylindrical handle shaft and engaged with the outer face of the door and secured thereto toy-means of suitable screws.

Adjacent the end of the reduced portion 13 of the handle shaft which is also of rectangular or other polygonal shape corresponding to the shape of the bore 9, a notch Lasagna or seat 15 is formed in one corner-or edge thereof and has a concave cam surface. When the shaft end is properly fitted in the bore of the rollback, this notch or seat registers with the larger end portion ll-ol' the opening through the rollback lever.

Normally, or when the latch bolt is in its projected position, the rollback lever is held in abutting contact against the casing flange 6 by the latch spring, as seen in Figure :2 of the drawings. This casing flange is provided with an opening 16 of slightly greater diameter than the end portion 11 of the opening in the rollback lever. Through this opening in the casing flange, the attaching or securing member, whereby the handle shaft may be rigidly attached to the rollback lever, can be conveniently inserted. In theembodiment shown in Figure 2 of the drawing, it will be seen that this member has a threaded shank 17 and an end portion 18 of relatively greater diameter connected to said shank by a frusto-conical cam portion 19. The end portion 18 of said member is formed with a kerf 20 for the convenient application of a screw driver thereto.

From the foregoing description, it will be readily seen that after the shaft end has been fitted into the bore of the rollback lever, the securing member may then be inserted through the opening 16 in the casing flange and its threaded shank 17 readily engaged with the threaded portion 10 of the opening extending across the upper side of the bore of the lever. The extremity of this threaded shank of the attaching memher is pointed or tapered so that upon striking the inclined or tapered wall 12 of said opening, it will be properly directed into engagement with the threaded portion 10 of the opening. By then applying the screw driver and turning said attaching member, said member can be easily and quickly threaded home until its enlarged end 18 is enclosed within the end portion 11 of the opening in the lever. Before the cam portion 19 of said member is brought into earmg contact on the tapered section 12 of the surface of said openlng, said cam portion rides upon the concave cam surface of the notch or recess 15 in the shaft end. and exerts a wedging or camming action against Said shaft end to force the same diagonally in the bore of the rollback lever and thereby cause the farther side face and the bottom face of said shaft end to tightly bind against the corresponding surfaces of said bore. Thus a very ri id connection between the parts is obtaine and relative shifting movement of the shaft end and the rollback lever with a resultant rattling noise, is obviated. Further, it will be observed, that the cam part 19 of the attaching member engaging in the notch or recess 15 of the shaft end acts as a positive key lock to prevent axial movement of the shaft end in the bore of said lever. Thus, in effect, the shaft end and the rollback lever operate as an integral structure, and in the operation of the latch h' andle, will move together as one part. Such subsequent adjustment as may become necessary to insure a continued tight and rigid connection between the handle and lever may be cealing means which may be applied upon the wall of the latch case at the inner side of the door.

Further, it will be noted that the threaded section 17 of the attaching member is of such length that in disconnecting the parts, before said member is entirely unthreaded from the portion 10 of the opening in the rollback lever, the end 18 of said, member will project beyond the outer face of the flange 6 through the openin 16 therein so that it may be readily grasped between the a relatively fingers and said said member easily removed.

In Figures 4 and 5 of the drawing, I have disclosed another form of the device. In this instance it will be noted that the bore 9' doesnot extend entirely through the rollback lever, but is in the form of a socket having a closed end 9 which receives the end 13' of the handle shaft. The shaft end is provided with the cam seat 15", similar to that above referred to, but the attaching member in this instance is in the form of a short screw 21. This screw has a tapered or conical end 22 adapted to exert a camming or wedging action upon the concave face of the seat 15'. The threaded opening 23 in the rollback lever which receives this screw, extends from one side only of the bore 9' to one face of the lever. The inner end of this opening where it communicates with the bore 9' isunthreaded and of conical ortapering form, as shownat 12'.

It will be understood that the result obtained in the use of this modified construction is the same as that above described in connection with the embodiment shown in Figure 2 of the drawing.- In other words, the conical end of the screw 21 coacting with the surface of the seat 15' exerts a diagonal thrust upon the shaft end to tightly bind the same against the walls of the bore 9', said screw also acting as a key to lock the shaftend against axial shifting movement relative to the rollback.

In Figs, 6, 7 and 8, another alternative construction is illustrated wherein, instead of forming the threaded opening extending across the upper side of the bore in the rollback, as in Figure 2, I merely provide a threaded opening 10 communicating with the bore through one side thereof, the upper side of said threaded opening being coincident with the upper surface of the bore. At the opposite side of the bore the rollback lever is formed with a second threaded open ing 11 of relatively greater diameter. The upper wall of this opening extends above the plane of the upper surface of the bore in the rollback lever and is connected with or merged into the said surface by the inclined or tapering surface 12". The shaft end 13 in this construction is provided with a concave groove or channel 24 extending transverselv across its upper surface, and at one end of this groove the corner of the shaft end is formed with the cam receiving notch or seat 15. The attaching or securing member is similar to that seen in Figure 3, with the exception that only the end portion of the shank 17 is threaded and that the enlarged end 18 of said member is likewise threaded for engagement with the threads of the opening 11'. The intermediate unthreaded portion of the shank 17-is adapted for engagement in the channel or groove 24 and thus provides a locking key extending entirely across the shaft end. The camming or wedging section 19 of said member coacts with the seat 15 in the shaft end in the same manner as above described in connection with the other constructions.

In Figures 9 and 10 of the drawings I have shown another alternative construction wherein the shaft end which is fitted within the bore of the rollback is longitudinally split as at 25 to provide a sect-ion 26. 1 The other section of the shaft end formed by the split 25 is again divided into two sections 28 by a second split 27 which extends in a plane at right angles-to the split 25. The section 26 is rovided with a threaded opening 29 exten ing transversely therethrough and in the opposed faces of the sections 28 on said shaft end, the halves of an aligned opening 30 of the same diameter are formed. The outer ends of these half sections of the latter opening are flared or tapered, as at 31,

to provide seats for the intermediate camming or wedging section 12 of the screw 32.

The shank of this screw has a threaded end portion 33 for engagement in the opening 29 of the shaft section 26, the remainder of said shank being unthreaded to extend through the opening 30 formed in the shaft sections 28. The other end of the screw is enlarged or formed with a head 34:, which when the screw is in applied position, is enclosed by the ,walls of the opening 35 in the rollback lever which communicates with one side of the shaft receiving bore therein. It will be readily understood from this description that when the screw 32 is threaded home in the shaft, section 26, the cam part expands'the sections 28 of the shaft end and binds the same tightly against the opposite walls of the bore. The end of the. screw being threaded through the other section 26 of the shaft end and binding against one side face of the bore, further serves to positively lock the shaft end in connection with the rollback lever and thereby prevent a relative shifting movement of the parts.

In Figures 11 and 12 of the drawing, there is shown another possible construction,

wherein the shaft end is merely provided with a concave groove or channel 24 extending transversely across its upper surface and having its base wall obliquely inclined from one end to the other thereof. The fastening member is in the form of a screw having an intermediate longitudinallv tapering unthreaded portion 36 and the threaded end portions 37 and 38 respectively of relatively The rollback lever is, of course, provided with threaded openings of corresponding diameters at. the opposite sides of the bore to receive the threaded end portions'of the attaching screw. When the screw is threaded home, the smooth intermediatetapering section 36'thereof exerts a wedging or camming action upon the inclined base wall of the groove 24 and thus imparts a transverse thrust to the shaft. end and causes the tight frictional binding engagement of said shaft end a ainst the surdiflerent diameters.

faces of the bore, said unthreaded section of the screw at the same time constituting a transverse locking key, as in the construction shown in Fig. 6. p

In Figure 13 of the drawing, the shaft end is provided with a single longitudinally extending split affording the expansible portions 39, said split shaft end having a trans- .verse opening formed in the opposed faces of the portions 29 in a similar manner to the opening 30 shown in Figure 10, and being also provided at one end of said opening with the inclined seats-40. Openings 41 and 42 respectively, communicate with the opposite sides of the shaft receiving bore in the rollback lever, the larger opening 42 being threaded to receive the threaded end 43 of the attaching member. The shank 44 of this memberof relatively small diameter,

extends through the transverse opening between the expansible portions 39 of the shaft end and is loosely engaged in the smaller opening 41 in said lever. The ,intermediate c'amming or Wedging section 45 of the fastening member coacts with the cam seats 40 of the shaft portions 39 to expand the same in the manner above referred to and thereby tightly bind said shaft portions against the walls of the rollback bore.

From theforegoing description considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, the construction and manner of opera- .in the end wall of the tial and distinguishing characteristic present in all of these contemplated constructions resides in the provision of the transversely disposed cam receiving seat on the shaft end with which ing member insertable latch case coacts to rigidly fix the operating handle shaft in connection with the actuating rollback lever for the latch mechanism; Thus, this connection may be made, after the latch has been appliedin final position in the door structure and covered by the upholstery.

Also, the owner of the vehicle can very easily and quickly adjust the attaching member when necessary to tighten the connection, while at the same time this memher is entirely concealed and enclosed within the latch case so that it does not in any Way change the usual appearance of such latches nor is it likely to work loose and be lost. If desired, a suitable detachable closure might be provided for the opening 16 in theflange of the latch casing, but since such a closure does not constitute an essential part of the present invention, it is not here- 1n described in detail.

- Although I have above referred to numerous possible structural alternatives of the essential features of my present-invert tion, no limitations are to be implied therefrom, since from what has been said, it is apparent that the same desirable results might be attained in other constructions whlch may perhaps difi'er more or less indetail from my present disclosures. cordingly, such additional embodiments are to be considered as within the spirit and scope of my present invention as the same is defined by the appended claims.

I claim: 1. In combination with an automobile door latch having a casing, a rollback lever.

mounted therein and an exterior operating handle shaft for said lever having an end portion adapted to be fitted in a bore .to its axis and into, frictional binding engagement with the wall of said bore.

2. In combination with an automobile door an end flange adapted to be secured to the edge of the door, a rollback lever mounted within said casing closely-adjacent to said flange, and an exterior operating handle a camming or wedg-' through an opening" latch having a casing provided with,

ment of the shaft shaft for said lever havin a polygonally shaped end portion adapted a bore formed in the rollback lever; a looking element having a cam part, said rollback lever having an opening communicating with the bore thereof adapted to receive said locking element, said casing flange being provided with an opening through which an adjusting tool for the locking element is adapted to be inserted, and said shaft end having means formed thereon adapted to be engaged by the cam part of said locking ele ment to positively lock the shaft end against longitudmal shifting movement in either direction and to also urge the shaft end in an angular direction relative to its axis into frictional binding engagement with the wall of said bore.

3. A door latch having a casing provided with an end flange adapted to be secured to the edge of the door, said flange having an opening therein, the latch including a rollback lever mounted within the casing closely adjacent to said flange and normally in contact therewith an operating shaft for said lever, and a locking key extending at right angles to the axis of the shaft rigidly connecting the shaft and lever to each other to postively prevent their relative longitudinal movement in either direction, one end of said key being opposed to the opening in the casing flange in the normal position of said lever and adapted for engagement by an adjusting tool insertable through said open- 4. In combination, an actuating member having a shaft receiving bore, a, one-piece shaft adapted to be fitted in said bore and provided with a recess, and an adjustable locking key for said shaft to rigidly connect the same to said member, said key being provided with a cam part adapted to be engaged in said recess to prevent axial moves in either direction and also acting to urge the shaft in an angular direction relative to its axis and into binding engagement with the surfaces of said 5. In combination, an actuating member having a shaft receivin bore, a shaft adapted to be fitted in sai bore and provided with a cam sea-t extending at right angles to the axis of said shaft, said actuating member having an opening communicating with said bore, a locking key removably engaged in said opening and provided with a to be fitted in b cam part to coact with said seat, and therey lock the shaft against axial movement relative to the mem er and also urge the same in an angular direction to tightlj bind the shaft against the surfaces of sai bore.

6. In combination, an actuating member having a shaft receiving bore of polygonal form, a shaft of similar cross-sectional form adapted to be fitted in said bore and provided with a transversely inclined cam seat at the meeting edge of its adjacent angular faces, said member having an opening communicating with said bore, and a locking key adjustably mounted in said opening and having a cam part to coact with the inclined cam seat on the shaft and urge said shaft in an angular direction to tightly bind the shaft against the surfaces of said bore.

7. In combination, an actuating member having a shaft receiving bore, a shaft having a longitudinally split end adapted to be fitted in said bore, said split end of the shaft having an opening extending transversely therethrough, and a locking key adjustable in said opening and having a cam part to coact with the opposed portions of the shaft endand urge the same in opposite directions into binding engagement with the surfaces of said bore.

8. In combination, an actuating member having a polygonal shaped shaft receiving bore, a shaft having an end portion of corresponding form to be fitted in said bore, said shaft end being longitudinally split in planes at right angles to each other to provide a plurality o separable portions, said actuating member being provided with an opening communicating with one side of the bore, said separated portions of the shaft at one side of one of the longitudinal splits therein being provided with transversely inclined cam seats, and a locking element extending between said latter portions of the shaft and having threaded engagement with another shaft portion, said element projecting into the opening in the actuating member and having a cam part to coact with said inclined cam seats and urge the first named portions of the shaft in opposite directions into binding engagement with the surfaces of said bore.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as mydinvention, I have signed my name hereun er.

LEON OTTIINGER. 

